It’s not the mistakes, but how you respond

It's not the mistakes, but how you respond

Recently a client was complaining about a bug that had been introduced in the latest release of their software. She was very upset that the bug hadn't been caught before the release.

While I understand her frustration, bugs are a reality of software. The real test here is how the software company responds to notification of this bug. Will they acknowledge the problem? Will they fix it right away? Will they offer a workaround?

Software bugs are inevitable. Human error is inevitable. How the vendor responds to those errors is what really matters.

When my clients are selecting a new software system, part of the process is reference checks. One question I always recommend is something along the lines of "Tell me when there was a problem with your vendor. What happened and how did they resolve it?" How the vendor responded to any significant challenges will say a lot about the vendor.

The reality is there will always be errors, there will always be bugs, there will always be challenges  with any software. What matters most is how the vendor responds to those issues.

(And by the way, this applies to all of us. We all make mistakes. It's how we respond to those mistakes that really counts.)

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Are you collecting mobile phone numbers? You should be.

August 28, 2024

Are you collecting mobile phone numbers? You should be. Are you collecting (and using) the […]

Spend less time on data management and more on higher value activities

August 21, 2024

Spend less time on data management and more on higher value activities Data management is very […]

Change anything you want, except your name!

August 7, 2024

Change anything you want, except your name! This is an oldy but a goody, but […]

If you don’t trust your vendor…

July 24, 2024

If you don’t trust your vendor… When I start an AMS selection project with a […]

Your RFP should go to no more than five vendors!

July 17, 2024

Your RFP should go to no more than five vendors! As a rule, when I […]

Be concise!

July 10, 2024

Be concise! I started a monthly newsletter almost 25 years ago (which I recently discontinued). […]

A great example of a data integrity report!

June 26, 2024

A great example of a data integrity report! A couple months back I discussed the […]

“If you keep doin’ what you’re doin’, you’ll keep gettin’ what you’re gettin’.”

June 5, 2024

“If you keep doin’ what you’re doin’, you’ll keep gettin’ what you’re gettin’.” I saw […]

Rather than adding something new, try subtracting

May 29, 2024

Rather than adding something new, try subtracting I read recently that sociological research suggests, when presented […]

It’s always people, process, and technology

May 22, 2024

It’s always people, process, and technology I speak and write a lot about people, process, […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top